Lost In The Dreams Of The Blood Of Olympus
by Yims Management
Summary: <html><head></head>DICLAIMER I OWN NOTHING war has passed and its been 6 years but all of a sudden while our heros are dreaming they revisit their past in The Blood Of Olympus.</html>
1. Jason I

**Note from me: hey guys so this is updated verion sorry like it or hate it**

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><p>JASON I<p>

6 years later...

After the war has ended and the Greeks and Romans were peaceful again Jason and Piper had decided to live a peaceful live in New York their freinds would often hang out together. It was a long night today Percy and Leo fought over a bag of sala Vera doritos no, not the chips the...Bag. Jason was in his room now getting ready for bed and saw a very cute lady in his doorway smiling at him.

"Come on Pipes, let's go to sleep." He said, she giggled and went in bed with him.

"Its been six years already hasn't it?" She said cuddling up to him He wrapped his arms around her.

"Yes Chiron called for an anniversary party everyones invited of course." Jason whispered.

"I can't wait." Piper whispered sleeply then they both drifted off to sleep.

Normally Jason never had his nightmares anymore since the last battle but tonight shocked him he went back in time to the quest.

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><p>JASON HATED BEING OLD.<p>

His joints hurt. His legs shook. As he tried to climb the hill, his lungs rattled like a box of rocks.

He couldn't see his face, thank goodness, but his fingers were gnarled and bony. Bulging blue veins webbed the backs of his hands.

He even had that old man smell—mothballs and chicken soup. How was that possible? He'd gone from sixteen to seventy-five in a matter of seconds, but the old man smell happened instantly, like boom. Congratulations! You stink!

"Almost there." Piper smiled at him. "You're doing great."

Easy for her to say. Piper and Annabeth were disguised as lovely Greek serving maidens. Even in their white sleeveless gowns and laced sandals, they had no trouble navigating the rocky path.

Piper's mahogany hair was pinned up in a braided spiral. Silver bracelets adorned her arms. She resembled an ancient statue of her mom, Aphrodite, which Jason found a little intimidating.

Dating a beautiful girl was "nerve-racking enough. Dating a girl whose mom was the goddess of love...well, Jason was always afraid he'd do something unromantic, and Piper's mom would frown down from Mount Olympus and change him into a feral hog.

Jason glanced uphill. The summit was still a hundred yards above.

"Worst idea ever." He leaned against a cedar tree and wiped his forehead. "Hazel's magic is too good. If I have to fight, I'll be useless."

"It won't come to that," Annabeth promised. She looked uncomfortable in her serving-maiden outfit. She kept hunching her shoulders to keep the dress from slipping. Her pinned-up blond bun had come undone in the back and her hair dangled like long spider legs. Knowing her hatred of spiders, Jason decided not to mention that.

"We infiltrate the palace," she said. "We get the information we need, and we get out."

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><p>"JASON!" Piper scream as he awoke.<p>

"Huh?" He said sleepy.

"Thank the gods your awake!" She sobbed. "I couldn't get you up for almost 3 hours I thought you w..we're dead." She choked back another sob.

Jason groan as he got up "3 hours? What time is it Pipes?"

"Its almost noon." She told him dead serious.

"O..oh I mean Oh! I was just very tired, sorry."

"Mhmm...w...well do you want something to eat?" She aaked him.

Jason did felt a little hungry so he said ok and Piper went to get him something to eat. He thought to himself why did I dream about that again? His head hurted a bit thinking about the same things over and over. Forget about it Jason thought and he walked over to Piper who was making some food.

"So..what time do we have to leave?" She asked him while cutting some bread.

"4 o' olock so we got plenty of time." He smiled at her.

"Thats good I'll drive and you take a nap." before he could argue she added in: " Because it seems like you needs it."

it was close to 4 so Piper and Jason got in the car and she started to drive to camp. "Sleep." She he felt himself drift away.

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><p>Piper set down her amphora, the tall ceramic wine jar in which her sword was hidden. "We can rest for a second. Catch your breath, Jason."<p>

From her waist cord hung her cornucopia—the magic horn of plenty. Tucked somewhere in the folds of her dress was her knife, Katoptris. Piper didn't look dangerous, but if the need arose, she could dual-wield Celestial bronze blades "or shoot her enemies in the face with ripe mangoes.

Annabeth slung her own amphora off her shoulder. She too had a concealed sword; but even without a visible weapon, she looked deadly. Her stormy gray eyes scanned the surroundings, alert for any threat. If any dude asked Annabeth for a drink, Jason figured she was more likely to kick the guy in the bifurcum.

He tried to steady his breathing.

Below them, Afales Bay glittered, the water so blue it might've been dyed with food coloring. A few hundred yards offshore, the Argo II rested at anchor. Its white sails looked no bigger than postage stamps, its ninety oars like tooth "picks. Jason imagined his friends on deck following his progress, taking turns with Leo's spyglass, trying not to laugh as they watched Grandpa Jason hobble uphill.

"Stupid Ithaca," he muttered.

He supposed the island was pretty enough. A spine of forested hills twisted down its center. Chalky white slopes plunged into the sea. Inlets formed rocky beaches and harbors where red-roofed houses and white stucco churches nestled against the shoreline.

The hills were dotted with poppies, crocuses, and wild cherry trees. The breeze smelled of blooming myrtle. All very nice—except the temperature was about a hundred "and five degrees. The air was as steamy as a Roman bathhouse.

It would've been easy for Jason to control the winds and fly to the top of the hill, but nooo. For the sake of stealth, he had to struggle along as an old dude with bad knees and chicken-soup stink.

He thought about his last climb, two weeks ago, when Hazel and he faced the bandit Sciron on the cliffs of Croatia. At least then Jason had been at full strength. What they were about to face would be much worse than a bandit.

"You sure this is the right hill?" he asked. "Seems kind of—I don't know—quiet."

Piper studied the ridgeline.

Braided in her hair was a bright blue harpy feather—a souvenir from last night's attack. The feather didn't exactly go with her disguise, but Piper had earned it, defeating an entire flock of demon chicken ladies by herself while she was on duty. She downplayed the accomplishment, but Jason could tell she felt good about it. The feather was a reminder that she wasn't the same girl she'd been last winter, when they'd first arrived at Camp Half-Blood.

"The ruins are up there," she promised. "I saw them in Katoptris's blade. And you heard what Hazel said. 'The biggest—'"

"'The biggest gathering of evil "spirits I've ever sensed,'" Jason recalled. "Yeah, sounds awesome."

After battling through the underground temple of Hades, the last thing Jason wanted was to deal with more evil spirits. But the fate of the quest was at stake. The crew of the Argo II had a big decision to make. If they chose wrong, they would fail, and the entire world would be destroyed.

Piper's blade, Hazel's magical senses, and Annabeth's instincts all agreed—the answer lay here in Ithaca, at the ancient palace of Odysseus, where a horde of evil spirits had gathered to await Gaea's orders. The plan was to sneak among them, learn what was going "on, and decide the best course of action. Then get out, preferably alive.

Annabeth readjusted her golden belt. "I hope our disguises hold up. The suitors were nasty customers when they were alive. If they find out we're demigods—"

"Hazel's magic will work," Piper said.

Jason tried to believe that.

The suitors: a hundred of the greediest, evilest cutthroats who'd ever lived. When Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, went missing after the Trojan War, this mob of B-list princes had invaded his palace and refused to leave, each one hoping to marry Queen Penelope and take over the kingdom. Odysseus

managed to return in secret and slaughter them all—your basic happy homecoming. But if Piper's visions were right, the suitors were now back, haunting the place where they'd died.

Jason couldn't believe he was about to visit the actual palace of Odysseus—one of the most famous Greek heroes of all time. Then again, this whole quest had been one mind-blowing event after another. Annabeth herself had just come back from the eternal abyss of Tartarus. Given that, Jason decided maybe he shouldn't complain about being an old man.

"Well..." He steadied himself with his walking stick. "If I look as old as I feel, my disguise must be perfect. Let's get going."

As they climbed, sweat trickled down his neck. His calves ached. Despite the heat, he began to shiver. And try as he might, he couldn't stop thinking about his recent dreams.

Ever since the House of Hades, they'd gotten more vivid.

Sometimes Jason stood in the underground temple of Epirus, the giant Clytius looming over him, speaking in a chorus of disembodied voices: It took all of you together to defeat me. What will you do when the Earth Mother opens her eyes?

Other times Jason found himself at the crest of Half-Blood Hill. Gaea

the Earth Mother rose from the ground—a swirling figure of soil, leaves, and stones.

Poor child. Her voice resonated across the landscape, shaking the bedrock under Jason's feet. Your father is first among the gods, yet you are always second best—to your Roman comrades, to your Greek friends, even to your family. How will you prove yourself?

His worst dream started in the courtyard of the Sonoma Wolf House. Before him stood the goddess Juno, glowing with the radiance of molten silver.

Your life belongs to me, her voice thundered. An appeasement from Zeus.

Jason knew he shouldn't look, but he couldn't close his eyes as Juno went supernova, revealing her true godly form. Pain seared Jason's mind. His body burned away in layers like an onion.

Then the scene changed. Jason was still at the Wolf House, but now he was a little boy—no more than two years old. A woman knelt before him, her lemony scent so familiar. Her features were watery and indistinct, but he knew her voice: bright and brittle, like the thinnest layer of ice over a fast stream.

I will be back for you, dearest, she said. I will see you soon.

Every time Jason woke up from that nightmare, his face was beaded with sweat. His eyes stung with tears. Nico di Angelo had warned them: the House of Hades would stir their worst memories, make them see things and hear things from the past. Their ghosts would become restless.

Jason had hoped that particular ghost would stay away, but every night the dream got worse. Now he was climbing to the ruins of a palace where an army of ghosts had gathered.

That doesn't mean she'll be there, Jason told himself.

But his hands wouldn't stop trembling. Every step seemed harder than the last.

"Almost there," Annabeth said. "Let's—"

BOOM! The hillside rumbled. Somewhere over the ridge, a crowd roared in approval, like spectators in a coliseum. The sound made Jason's skin crawl. Not so long ago, he'd fought for his life in the Roman Colosseum before a cheering ghostly audience. He wasn't anxious to repeat the experience.

"What was that explosion?" he wondered.

"Don't know," Piper said. "But it sounds like they're having fun. Let's go make some dead friends."

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><p>"Were here!" Piper announced.<p>

Jason was startled as he woke up and groan rubbed his head. He looked at his girlfreind sleeply then they both got out of the car. They looked at the camp and saw lights flashing and balloons everywhere.

"Hey guys!" Jason turned around and saw Percy and Annabeth.

"Come on lets go!" Annabeth exclaimed and dragged Piper away.

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><p><strong>note:ll this is the end of this chapter now don't kill me ok I had to revise it lol well anyways this is how it will be thanks for reading! Jason pov next again...<strong>


	2. Jason II

**A/N: sorry guys this is the update version hopefully you can back to read it and now as of my grammar im on mobile and i just... not my top priority if u don't likey no readie but i noticed im the only one with a chapter 2 so... =_= not that I hate you guys I'll do my best to be grammered up but I'm only focusing on posting up for you**

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><p>Jason II<p>

"Hey guys!" Leo said jumping up.

"Hey." Jason said back.

Jason wondered why he was getting all these dreams for its been so long since he remembered then and was a bit scared. He should consult to Rachel or Chiron or Reyna about them.

"Watch out!" A camper yelled before anyone could react a basket ball came fast and hit Jason on the head he went into another continuous dream...

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><p>NATURALLY, the situation was worse than Jason expected.<p>

It wouldn't have been any fun otherwise.

Peering through the olive bushes at the top of the rise, he saw what looked like an out-of-control zombie frat party.

The ruins themselves weren't that impressive: a few stone walls, a weed-choked central courtyard, a dead-end stairwell chiseled into the rock. Some plywood sheets covered a pit and a metal scaffold supported a cracked archway.

But superimposed over the ruins was another layer of reality—a spectral mirage of the palace as it must have appeared in its heyday. Whitewashed stucco walls lined with balconies rose three stories high. Columned porticoes faced the central atrium, which had a huge fountain and bronze braziers. At a dozen banquet tables, ghouls laughed and ate and pushed one another around.

Jason had expected about a hundred spirits, but twice that many were milling about, chasing spectral serving girls, smashing plates and cups, and basically making a nuisance of themselves.

Most looked like Lares from Camp Jupiter—transparent purple wraiths in tunics and sandals. A few revelers had decayed bodies with gray flesh, matted clumps of hair, and nasty wounds. Others seemed to be regular living mortals—some in togas, some in modern business suits or army fatigues. Jason even spotted one guy in a purple Camp Jupiter T-shirt and Roman legionnaire armor.

In the center of the atrium, a gray-skinned ghoul in a tattered Greek tunic paraded through the crowd, holding a marble bust over his head like a sports trophy. The other ghosts cheered and slapped him on the back. As the ghoul got closer, Jason noticed that he had an arrow in his throat, the feathered shaft sprouting from his Adam's apple. Even more disturbing: the bust he was holding...was that Zeus?

It was hard to be sure. Most Greek god statues looked similar. But the bearded, glowering face reminded Jason very much of the giant Hippie Zeus in Cabin One at Camp Half-Blood.

"Our next offering!" the ghoul shouted, his voice buzzing from the arrow in his throat. "Let us feed the Earth Mother!"

The partyers yelled and pounded their cups. The ghoul made his way to the central fountain. The crowd parted, and Jason realized the fountain wasn't filled with water. From the three-foot-tall pedestal, a geyser of sand spewed upward, arcing into an umbrella-shaped curtain of white particles before spilling into the circular basin.

The ghoul heaved the marble bust into the fountain. As soon as Zeus's head passed through the shower of sand, the marble disintegrated like it was going through a wood chipper. The sand glittered gold, the color of ichor—godly blood. Then the entire mountain rumbled with a muffled BOOM, as if belching after a meal.

The dead partygoers roared with approval.

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><p>Leo's return shocked everyone including the son of Hades himself but not Jason he knew that he would return sometime and when he came back with a girl at first he didn't recognize her but then he realized that it was the girl in the drawing of the Argo II, Calypso. He was so happy that the idiot had finally showned himself. He couldn't help but to have felt guilty about his best freind.<p>

"Jason!" He heard Leo say. He woke up in pain.

Jason groaned "Wha-happen?" He asked.

"The great Jason was knocked out by a basketball ball you ok?" Leo said.

Jason laughed "I should be asking you that!" Leo grinned.

"I'm fine as ever man! Now sparky gots to get up Pipers waiting in the lake." Leo said.

"The lake? Ok hold on." Jason got up out of the bed and Leo let him him lean on him as they walked a bit up. They went to the lake and saw Piper talking to the naiads they said something and pointed at them as dissapered in the ripples Piper turned around. She gave Leo a hug and a kiss she has been doing that since he came back which still shocked Leo in many ways but he grinned.

"Hey Jason", She put her hand on his forehead. "Feeling better." She asked in concern.

"Yeah hey Reyna's coming back right? Tonight?" He forgot about the whole girfreind and ex-kinda-was-suppose-to-be-girlfriend-but-got-memory-wiped-by- goddess-thing Reyna and Piper seemed to be getting along nicely And he was happy.

Suddenly Leo remembered something "Sorry guys gotta go!" And he hurriled along back to camp.

"Piper!" A camper called out. "Can you help and use your charmspeak on somebody?!" They yelled, Piper shrugged.

she kissed Jason "Sorry better go see what's up." And left with the camper.

Jason was alone again he was kinda afraid to go back to sleep fearing that he might revisit his past of the last battle again. He got drowsy because of the suns warmth and was defeated and feel asleep.

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><p><strong>"Any more statues?" the ghoul shouted to the crowd. "No? Then I guess we'll have to wait for some real gods to sacrifice!"<strong>

**His comrades laughed and applauded as the ghoul plopped himself down at the nearest feast table.**

**Jason clenched his walking stick. "That guy just disintegrated my dad. Who does he think he is?"**

**"I'm guessing that's Antinous," said Annabeth, "one of the suitors' leaders. If I remember right, it was Odysseus who shot him through the neck with that arrow."**

**Piper winced. "You'd think that would keep a guy down. What about all the others? Why are there so many?"**

**"I don't know," Annabeth said. "Newer recruits for Gaea, I guess. Some must've come back to life before we closed the Doors of Death. Some are just spirits."**

**"Some are ghouls," Jason said. "The ones with the gaping wounds and the gray skin, like Antinous...I've fought their kind before."**

**Piper tugged at her blue harpy feather. "Can they be killed?"**

**Jason remembered a quest he'd taken for Camp Jupiter years ago in San Bernardino. "Not easily. They're strong and fast and intelligent. Also, they eat human flesh."**

**"Fantastic," Annabeth muttered. "I don't see any option except to "stick to the plan. Split up, infiltrate, find out why they're here. If things go bad—"**

**"We use the backup plan," Piper said.**

**Jason hated the backup plan.**

**Before they left the ship, Leo had given each of them an emergency flare the size of a birthday candle. Supposedly, if they tossed one in the air, it would shoot upward in a streak of white phosphorus, alerting the Argo II that the team was in trouble. At that point, Jason and the girls would have a few seconds to take cover before the ship's catapults fired on their position, engulfing the palace in Greek fire and bursts of Celestial bronze "shrapnel.**

**Not the safest plan, but at least Jason had the satisfaction of knowing that he could call an air strike on this noisy mob of dead guys if the situation got dicey. Of course, that was assuming he and his friends could get away. And assuming Leo's doomsday candles didn't go off by accident—Leo's inventions sometimes did that—in which case the weather would get much hotter, with a ninety percent chance of fiery apocalypse.**

**"Be careful down there," he told Piper and Annabeth.**

**Piper crept around the left side of the ridge. Annabeth went right. Jason pulled himself up with his "walking stick and hobbled toward the ruins.**

**He flashed back to the last time he'd plunged into a mob of evil spirits, in the House of Hades. If it hadn't been for Frank Zhang and Nico di Angelo...**

**Gods...Nico.**

**Over the past few days, every time Jason sacrificed a portion of a meal to Jupiter, he prayed to his dad to help Nico. That kid had gone through so much, and yet he had volunteered for the most difficult job: transporting the Athena Parthenos statue to Camp Half-Blood. If he didn't succeed, the Roman and Greek demigods would "slaughter each other. Then, no matter what happened in Greece, the Argo II would have no home to return to.**

**Jason passed through the palace's ghostly gateway. He realized just in time that a section of mosaic floor in front of him was an illusion covering a ten-foot-deep excavation pit. He sidestepped it and continued into the courtyard.**

**The two levels of reality reminded him of the Titan stronghold on Mount Othrys—a disorienting maze of black marble walls that randomly melted into shadow and solidified again. At least during that fight Jason had had a hundred legionnaires at his side. Now all he had was an "old man's body, a stick, and two friends in slinky dresses.**

**Forty feet ahead of him, Piper moved through the crowd, smiling and filling wineglasses for the ghostly revelers. If she was afraid, she didn't show it. So far the ghosts weren't paying her any special attention. Hazel's magic must have been working.**

**Over on the right, Annabeth collected empty plates and goblets. She wasn't smiling.**

**Jason remembered the talk he'd had with Percy before leaving the ship.**

**Percy had stayed aboard to watch for threats from the sea, but he hadn't liked the idea of Annabeth "going on this expedition without him—especially since it would be the first time they were apart since returning from Tartarus.**

**He'd pulled Jason aside. "Hey, man...Annabeth would kill me if I suggested she needed anybody to protect her."**

**Jason laughed. "Yeah, she would."**

**"But look out for her, okay?"**

**Jason squeezed his friend's shoulder. "I'll make sure she gets back to you safely."**

**Now Jason wondered if he could keep that promise.**

**He reached the edge of the crowd.**

**A raspy voice cried, "IROS!"**

**"Antinous, the ghoul with the arrow in his throat, was staring right at him. "Is that you, you old beggar?"**

**Hazel's magic did its work. Cold air rippled across Jason's face as the Mist subtly altered his appearance, showing the suitors what they expected to see.**

**"That's me!" Jason said. "Iros!"**

**A dozen more ghosts turned toward him. Some scowled and gripped the hilts of their glowing purple swords. Too late, Jason wondered if Iros was an enemy of theirs, but he'd already committed to the part.**

**He hobbled forward, putting on his best cranky old man expression. "Guess I'm late to the party. I hope you saved me some food?"**

**One of the ghosts sneered in disgust. "Ungrateful old panhandler. Should I kill him, Antinous?"**

**Jason's neck muscles tightened.**

**Antinous regarded him for a three count, then chuckled. "I'm in a good mood today. Come, Iros, join me at my table."**

**Jason didn't have much choice. He sat across from Antinous while more ghosts crowded around, leering as if they expected to see a particularly vicious arm-wrestling contest.**

**Up close, Antinous's eyes were solid yellow. His lips stretched paper-thin over wolfish teeth. At first, "Jason thought the ghoul's curly dark hair was disintegrating. Then he realized a steady stream of dirt was trickling from Antinous's scalp, spilling over his shoulders. Clods of mud filled the old sword gashes in the ghoul's gray skin. More dirt spilled from the base of the arrow wound in his throat.**

**The power of Gaea, Jason thought. The earth is holding this guy together.**

**Antinous slid a golden goblet and a platter of food across the table. "I didn't expect to see you here, Iros. But I suppose even a beggar can sue for retribution. Drink. Eat."**

**Thick red liquid sloshed in the goblet. On the plate sat a steaming "brown lump of mystery meat.**

**Jason's stomach rebelled. Even if ghoul food didn't kill him, his vegetarian girlfriend probably wouldn't kiss him for a month.**

**He recalled what Notus the South Wind had told him: A wind that blows aimlessly is no good to anyone.**

**Jason's entire career at Camp Jupiter had been built on careful choices. He mediated between demigods, listened to all sides of an argument, found compromises. Even when he chafed against Roman traditions, he thought before he acted. He wasn't impulsive.**

**Notus had warned him that such hesitation would kill him. Jason had "to stop deliberating and take what he wanted.**

**If he was an ungrateful beggar, he had to act like one.**

**He ripped off a chunk of meat with his fingers and stuffed it in his mouth. He guzzled some red liquid, which thankfully tasted like watered-down wine, not blood or poison. Jason fought the urge to gag, but he didn't keel over or explode.**

**"Yum!" He wiped his mouth. "Now tell me about this...what did you call it? Retribution? Where do I sign up?"**

**The ghosts laughed. One pushed his shoulder and Jason was alarmed that he could actually feel it.**

**At Camp Jupiter, Lares had no "physical substance. Apparently these spirits did—which meant more enemies who could beat, stab, or decapitate him.**

**Antinous leaned forward. "Tell me, Iros, what do you have to offer? We don't need you to run messages for us like in the old days. Certainly you aren't a fighter. As I recall, Odysseus crushed your jaw and tossed you into the pigsty."**

**Jason's neurons fired. Iros...the old man who'd run messages for the suitors in exchange for scraps of food. Iros had been sort of like their pet homeless person. When Odysseus came home, disguised as a beggar, Iros thought the new guy was moving in on his territory. The "two had started arguing...**

**"You made Iros—" Jason hesitated. "You made me fight Odysseus. You bet money on it. Even when Odysseus took off his shirt and you saw how muscular he was...you still made me fight him. You didn't care if I lived or died!"**

**Antinous bared his pointed teeth. "Of course I didn't care. I still don't! But you're here, so Gaea must have had a reason to allow you back into the mortal world. Tell me, why are you worthy of a share in our spoils?"**

**"What spoils?"**

**Antinous spread his hands. "The entire world, my friend. The first time we met here, we were only af"ter Odysseus's land, his money, and his wife."**

**"Especially his wife!" A bald ghost in ragged clothes elbowed Jason in the ribs. "That Penelope was a hot little honey cake!"**

**Jason caught a glimpse of Piper serving drinks at the next table. She discreetly put her finger to her mouth in a gag me gesture, then went back to flirting with dead guys.**

**Antinous sneered. "Eurymachus, you whining coward. You never stood a chance with Penelope. I remember you blubbering and pleading for your life with Odysseus, blaming everything on me!"**

**"Lot of good it did me." Eury"machus lifted his tattered shirt, revealing an inch-wide hole in the middle of his spectral chest. "Odysseus shot me in the heart, just because I wanted to marry his wife!"**

**"At any rate..." Antinous turned to Jason. "We have gathered now for a much bigger prize. Once Gaea destroys the gods, we will divide up the remnants of the mortal world!"**

**"Dibs on London!" yelled a ghoul at the next table.**

**"Montreal!" shouted another.**

**"Duluth!" yelled a third, which momentarily stopped the conversation as the other ghosts gave him confused looks.**

**The meat and wine turned to "lead in Jason's stomach. "What about the rest of these...guests? I count at least two hundred. Half of them are new to me."**

**Antinous's yellow eyes gleamed. "All of them are suitors for Gaea's favor. All have claims and grievances against the gods or their pet heroes. That scoundrel over there is Hippias, former tyrant of Athens. He got deposed and sided with the Persians to attack his own countrymen. No morals whatsoever. He'd do anything for power."**

**"Thank you!" called Hippias.**

**"That rogue with the turkey leg in his mouth," Antinous continued, "that's Hasdrubal of Carthage. He has a grudge to settle with Rome."**

**"Mhhmm," said the Carthaginian.**

**"And Michael Varus—"**

**Jason choked. "Who?"**

**Over by the sand fountain, the dark-haired guy in the purple shirt and legionnaire armor turned to face them. His outline was blurred, smoky, and indistinct, so Jason guessed he was some form of spirit, but the legion tattoo on his forearm was clear enough: SPQR, the double-faced head of the god Janus, and six **

**"score-marks for years of service. On his breastplate hung the badge of praetorship and the emblem of the Fifth Cohort.**

**Jason had never met Michael Varus. The infamous praetor had "died in the 1980s. Still, Jason's skin crawled when he met Varus's gaze. Those sunken eyes seemed to bore right through Jason's disguise.**

**Antinous waved dismissively. "He's a Roman demigod. Lost his legion's eagle in...Alaska, was it? Doesn't matter. Gaea lets him hang around. He insists he has some insight into defeating Camp Jupiter. But you, Iros—you still haven't answered my question. Why should you be welcome among us?"**

**Varus's dead eyes had unnerved Jason. He could feel the Mist thinning around him, reacting to his uncertainty.**

**Suddenly Annabeth appeared at Antinous's shoulder. "More wine," "my lord? Oops!"**

**She spilled the contents of a silver pitcher down the back of Antinous's neck.**

**"Gahh!" The ghoul arched his spine. "Foolish girl! Who let you back from Tartarus?"**

**"A Titan, my lord." Annabeth dipped her head apologetically. "May I bring you some moist towelettes? Your arrow is dripping."**

**"Begone!"**

**Annabeth caught Jason's eye—a silent message of support— then she disappeared in the crowd.**

**The ghoul wiped himself off, giving Jason a chance to collect his thoughts.**

**He was Iros...former messenger" "of the suitors. Why would he be here? Why should they accept him?**

**He picked up the nearest steak knife and stabbed it into the table, making the ghosts around him jump.**

**"Why should you welcome me?" Jason growled. "Because I'm still running messages, you stupid wretches! I've just come from the House of Hades to see what you're up to!"**

**That last part was true, and it seemed to give Antinous pause. The ghoul glared at him, wine still dripping from the arrow shaft in his throat. "You expect me to believe Gaea sent you—a beggar—to check up on us?"**

**"Jason laughed. "I was among the last to leave Epirus before the Doors of Death were closed! I saw the chamber where Clytius stood guard under a domed ceiling tiled with tombstones. I walked the jewel-and-bone floors of the Necromanteion!"**

**That was also true. Around the table, ghosts shifted and muttered.**

**"So, Antinous..." Jason jabbed a finger at the ghoul. "Maybe you should explain to me why you're worthy of Gaea's favor. All I see is a crowd of lazy, dawdling dead folk enjoying themselves and not helping the war effort. What should I tell the Earth Mother?"**

**From the corner of his eye, Jason saw Piper flash him an approving "smile. Then she returned her attention to a glowing purple Greek dude who was trying to make her sit on his lap.**

**Antinous wrapped his hand around the steak knife Jason had impaled in the table. He pulled it free and studied the blade. "If you come from Gaea, you must know we are here under orders. Porphyrion decreed it." Antinous ran the knife blade across his palm. Instead of blood, dry dirt spilled from the cut. "You do know Porphyrion...?"**

**Jason struggled to keep his nausea under control. He remembered Porphyrion just fine from their battle at the Wolf House. "The giant king—green skin, forty feet tall," "white eyes, hair braided with weapons. Of course I know him. He's a lot more impressive than you."**

**He decided not to mention that the last time he'd seen the giant king, Jason had blasted him in the head with lightning.**

**For once, Antinous looked speechless, but his bald ghost friend Eurymachus put an arm around Jason's shoulders.**

**"Now, now, friend!" Eurymachus smelled like sour wine and burning electrical wires. His ghostly touch made Jason's rib cage tingle. "I'm sure we didn't mean to question your credentials! It's just, well, if you've spoken with Porphyrion in." "Athens, you know why we're here. I assure you, we're doing exactly as he ordered!"**

**Jason tried to mask his surprise. Porphyrion in Athens.**

**Gaea had promised to pull up the gods by their roots. Chiron, Jason's mentor at Camp Half-Blood, had assumed that meant that the giants would try to rouse the earth goddess at the original Mount Olympus. But now...**

**"The Acropolis," Jason said. "The most ancient temples to the gods, in the middle of Athens. That's where Gaea will wake."**

**"Of course!" Eurymachus laughed. The wound in his chest made a popping sound, like a por" **

**"poise's blowhole. "And to get there, those meddlesome demigods will have to travel by sea, eh? They know it's too dangerous to fly over land."**

**"Which means they'll have to pass this island," Jason said.**

**Eurymachus nodded eagerly. He removed his arm from Jason's shoulders and dipped his finger in his wineglass. "At that point, they'll have to make a choice, eh?"**

**On the tabletop, he traced a coastline, red wine glowing unnaturally against the wood. He drew Greece like a misshapen hourglass—a large dangly blob for the northern mainland, then another blob below it, almost as large—the big""chunk of land known as the Peloponnese. Cutting between them was a narrow line of sea—the Straits of Corinth.**

**Jason hardly needed a picture. He and the rest of the crew had spent the last day at sea studying maps.**

**"The most direct route," Eurymachus said, "would be due east from here, across the Straits of Corinth. But if they try to go that way—"**

**"Enough," Antinous snapped. "You have a loose tongue, Eurymachus."**

**The ghost looked offended. "I wasn't going to tell him everything! Just about the Cyclopes armies" "massed on either shore. And the raging storm spirits in the air. And those vicious sea monsters Keto sent to infest the waters. And of course if the ship got as far as Delphi—"**

**"Idiot!" Antinous lunged across the table and grabbed the ghost's wrist. A thin crust of dirt spread from the ghoul's hand, straight up Eurymachus's spectral arm.**

**"No!" Eurymachus yelped. "Please! I—I only meant—"**

**The ghost screamed as the dirt covered his body like a shell, then cracked apart, leaving nothing but a pile of dust. Eurymachus was gone.**

**Antinous sat back and brushed off his hands. The other suitors at." "the table watched him in wary silence.**

**"Apologies, Iros." The ghoul smiled coldly. "All you need to know—the ways to Athens are well guarded, just as we promised. The demigods would either have to risk the straits, which are impossible, or sail around the entire Peloponnese, which is hardly much safer. In any event, it's unlikely they will survive long enough to make that choice. Once they reach Ithaca, we will know. We will stop them here, and Gaea will see how valuable we are. You can take that message back to Athens."**

**Jason's heart hammered against his sternum. He'd never seen any" "thing like the shell of earth that Antinous had summoned to destroy Eurymachus. He didn't want to find out if that power worked on demigods.**

**Also, Antinous sounded confident that he could detect the Argo II. Hazel's magic seemed to be obscuring the ship so far, but there was no telling how long that would last.**

**Jason had the intel they'd come for. Their goal was Athens. The safer route, or at least the not impossible route, was around the southern coast. Today was July 20. They only had twelve days before Gaea planned to wake, on August 1, the ancient Feast of Hope.**

**Jason and his friends needed to" "leave while they had the chance.**

**But something else bothered him—a cold sense of foreboding, as if he hadn't heard the worst news yet.**

**Eurymachus had mentioned Delphi. Jason had secretly hoped to visit the ancient site of Apollo's Oracle, maybe get some insight into his personal future, but if the place had been overrun by monsters...**

**He pushed aside his plate of cold food. "Sounds like everything is under control. For your sake, Antinous, I hope so. These demigods are resourceful. They closed the Doors of Death. We wouldn't want them sneaking past you, perhaps getting help from Delphi." **

** "Antinous chuckled. "No risk of that. Delphi is no longer in Apollo's control."**

**"I—I see. And if the demigods sail the long way around the Peloponnese?"**

**"You worry too much. That journey is never safe for demigods, and it's much too far. Besides, Victory runs rampant in Olympia. As long as that's the case, there is no way the demigods can win this war."**

**Jason didn't understand what that meant either, but he nodded. "Very well. I will report as much to King Porphyrion. Thank you for the, er, meal."**

**Over at the fountain, Michael Varus called, "Wait."**

**"Jason bit back a curse. He'd been trying to ignore the dead praetor, but now Varus walked over, surrounded in a hazy white aura, his deep-set eyes like sinkholes. At his side hung an Imperial gold gladius.**

**"You must stay," Varus said.**

**Antinous shot the ghost an irritated look. "What's the problem, legionnaire? If Iros wants to leave, let him. He smells bad!"**

**The other ghosts laughed nervously. Across the courtyard, Piper shot Jason a worried glance. A little farther away, Annabeth casually palmed a carving knife from the nearest platter of meat.**

**Varus rested his hand on the pommel of his sword. Despite the"**

**"heat, his breastplate was glazed with ice. "I lost my cohort twice in Alaska—once in life, once in death to a Graecus named Percy Jackson. Still I have come here to answer Gaea's call. Do you know why?"**

**Jason swallowed. "Stubbornness?"**

**"This is a place of longing," Varus said. "All of us are drawn here, sustained not only by Gaea's power, but also by our strongest desires. Eurymachus's greed. Antinous's cruelty."**

**"You flatter me," the ghoul muttered.**

**"Hasdrubal's hatred," Varus continued. "Hippias's bitterness. My ambition. And you, Iros. What has"**

**"drawn you here? What does a beggar most desire? Perhaps a home?"**

**An uncomfortable tingle started at the base of Jason's skull—the same feeling he got when a huge electrical storm was about to break.**

**"I should be going," he said. "Messages to carry."**

**Michael Varus drew his sword. "My father is Janus, the god of two faces. I am used to seeing through masks and deceptions. Do you know, Iros, why we are so sure the demigods will not pass our island undetected?"**

**Jason silently ran through his repertoire of Latin cuss words. He tried to calculate how long it would take him to get out his emergency"**

**"flare and fire it. Hopefully he could buy enough time for the girls to find shelter before this mob of dead guys slaughtered him.**

**He turned to Antinous. "Look, are you in charge here or not? Maybe you should muzzle your Roman."**

**The ghoul took a deep breath. The arrow rattled in his throat. "Ah, but this might be entertaining. Go on, Varus."**

**The dead praetor raised his sword. "Our desires reveal us. They show us for who we really are. Someone has come for you, Jason Grace."**

**Behind Varus, the crowd parted. The shimmering ghost of a woman"**

**"drifted forward, and Jason felt as if his bones were turning to dust.**

**"My dearest," said his mother's ghost. "You have come home.**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: well more jason i gotta say... I WANT MY PERCY T^T and yes Leo.. Spoiler alert "died" don't worry Ill get to it~ And my itouch is being a bitch now so dont yell at me I went thro lots of frustration putting this up**


	3. Jason III

**A/N: did u go back to the chapter? Just updated go back NOW just a freindly reminder I will post up reupdate this chapter my the end of the week so stay tuned go back and read this chapter is Jason too. If wondering. Your welcome.**


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